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Homo Sapiens (D)Evolves into Homo Medicus

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The Editors

A well known science and medical author, Wades Tudeep, has proposed an upgrade to a famous Shakespeare quote from Hamlet:

“What a piece of work is a man! How noble in reason, how infinite in faculty! In form and moving how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel! In apprehension how like a god! . . . [proposed addition] . . . In DNA, what an encyclopedia of disease!"

At a recent conference of medical futurists obsessed with human DNA, Wades Tudeep said, “with the sequencing of the human genome and all of you scientists’ fabulous efforts, we now know for sure there are three types of mankind: (a) the sick, or those with disease, (b) survivors, or those who lived through a disease, and (c) previvors, or those who are about to get a disease.”

Scientist superstar Kneels N. Thegrass was delighted with the discovery.

“This is big. This is so big. We finally now have a name free of any romance or mystery for humans who are not sick. The announcement today that most of us are “previvors” will be remembered for decades to come. I’m so glad Tudeep’s new book, “The Ultimate Book on the Gene,” is being made into a documentary so that every previvor will know who he or she is and no longer continue with all this folderol. It's another giant step forward for science.”

"Darwin may have told us where we came from, but did that take the mystery out of it? Go ahead; call humans--who Shakespeare compared to gods and angels--ticking genetic time bombs. I prefer the lingo from a former scientific time, that of homo sapiens, or wise man. Yes, we’re ticking time bombs, but at least we’re wise ticking time bombs."

Wades Tudeep was quoted at the conference in a tweet by @LoveToTweetScience as saying that the “most important thing is to keep the human being in the center of the work.”

“Tudeep is confused,” tweeted back Dr. Bloomedalready. “He doesn’t know whether he wants to be a scientist or a writer."

Update: Since this article was published, a San Francisco artist has just announced her new show, Previvors. The exhibition, a collection of framed printouts of human genetic code, is planned to tour the country and has heralded great acclaim.

“This is big,” wrote New York Times art critic, Rob Art Withasmile, "this is so big. It builds on every great work of art mankind has ever made about himself. To show man as his--and her--genetically naked, vulnerable self always on the brink of destruction--it’s just awe inspiring. With regard to the issue of content, the disjunctive perturbation of the spatial genetic relationships brings within the realm of artistic discourse a distinctive and quite formal juxtaposition. Who would have thought of it?”